gmail

Google's email service crumbled yesterday for about 40 minutes, leaving millions of enterprise and consumer users without access to their cloud-stored email. 

Gmail didn't fall down due to a denial-of-service attack as was reported initially yesterday (which was quickly amended), despite no initial evidence to suggest that it was. The search giant said on its dashboard status pages:

Then millions of Google Chrome browsers crashed at around the same time. … Read more

Last updated: 11:30 a.m. PT

Gmail went down briefly this morning before quickly popping back up.

Twitter users took to their accounts to tell the world that the e-mail program wasn't connecting. It appeared that both the consumer version for "gmail.com" accounts wasn't working, as well as corporate e-mail systems that use Gmail as their e-mail platform.

It's not clear what might have caused the outage, but it appeared to be quite widespread. About five to ten minutes after the outage, however, Gmail came back, and is now operating fine.

Update 9:… Read more

Google updated its Gmail app for iOS this week. Version 2.0 of Gmail for iOS introduces a redesigned interface along with search predictions as you type, tighter integration with Google Calendar and Google+, and infinite inbox scrolling. The biggest feature it adds, however, is support for multiple accounts -- up to five, to be exact.

With version 1.0 of Gmail on the iPhone, you were able sign in and out of an account by scrolling to the bottom of your inbox. With version 2.0's infinitely scrolling inbox, you'll need to look elsewhere to sign in … Read more

One feature Android users have been asking for in the Gmail app has been the ability to swipe and delete or archive a message. With the release of Gmail 4.2, that's now possible.

By default, the swipe gesture is set to archive or delete a message, depending on whether the message has already been archived. Should you want to change it to always delete (or disable the feature altogether), you'll need to dive into the settings.

Google unveiled a redesigned Gmail app for iPhone and iPad today, promising a faster, sleeker experience and a bunch of new features. Says the company:

"With version 2.0 of the app, you'll get a totally new look and feel, plus a bunch of improvements like profile pictures in messages, numerous new animations from swivels to transitions and infinite scrolling in the message lists.

In addition, the updated app offers "many new time-saving features," Google said. "For example, when you search, autocomplete predictions will appear as you type, shaving off precious seconds (and typos). Plus, … Read more

Anyone who has ever had to send enormous files across the Internet has a new option. Google announced today that it has integrated Google Drive with Gmail, allowing users of both services to insert files from Drive directly into their messages.

Notably, file sizes can be up to 10GB, or 400 times larger than is allowed in a traditional attachment.

The team also built some "smart assistant" technology into the feature to make sure recipients of your shared files have the necessary permissions. Product manager Phil Sharp explains in a blog post:

Sometimes it's hard to say "no." You get an e-mail from a friend who wants you to read, critique, and edit his 500,000-word epic sci-fi fantasy novel. Your boss wants you to forfeit the next 12 weekends to help out with a pet project. This is when you need to have the Semi-Automatic Gmail Assistant (SAGA).

SAGA looks deceptively simple. It's a colorful rectangular box with a chrome button, a place for a key, and a USB hook-up for your computer. Your computer sees it as a standard keyboard.… Read more

What big feature will be missing from the Wii U on launch day?

Bad news for first-day Wii U buyers: the company has announced that the TVii service, which was promised to be available at launch, will now not be live until sometime in December. In addition, streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, and Amazon Instant Video will now be going live in the coming weeks. This is certainly a blow for Nintendo, which can't seem to get things ready for any launch -- you'll recall that the 3DS launched without access to the virtual eShop store, … Read more